This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Erik Henry Vick is an author who happens to be disabled by an autoimmune disease (also known as his Personal Monster™). He writes to hang on to the few remaining shreds of his sanity. His current favorite genres to write are dark fantasy and horror.

He lives in Western New York with his wife, Supergirl; their son; a Rottweiler named after a god of thunder; and two extremely psychotic cats. He fights his Personal Monster™ daily with humor, pain medicine, and funny T-shirts.

Erik has a B.A. in Psychology, an M.S.C.S., and a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence. He has worked as a criminal investigator for a state agency, a college professor, a C.T.O. for an international software company, and a video game developer.

Book Review

Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Rooms of Ruin is the second entry in the Blood of the Isir series by Erik Henry Vick, an epic fantasy packed with action, fast-paced, and set against the backdrop of an exciting imaginary world. A wicked queen, a curse from a cunning god, a traitor, and a trap that could end it all. A courageous man, Hank Jensen has proven that he still has what it takes to save his family. After battling powerful creatures and eluding the evil queen, he and his family are trapped in Osgarthr, and there is only one way out — journey to the rooms of ruin to reopen portals that connect the two worlds. But it’s what the evil queen has anticipated and she’s laid a trap for them. With a traitor among his friends, can Hank escape a grim fate?

Erik Henry Vick is a wonderful storyteller. He begins the story in the midst of scheming on the part of the evil ones. Readers get an idea of the severity of the crisis and understand that the protagonist could be walking into the jaws of death with his family. Hank is a compelling character and readers will enjoy following him as he struggles with a rare illness, a curse from a god, which continually weakens him. There are themes of friendship, family, and magic that are well developed, giving the story a sense of reality that enriches it. The chapters are designed to offer readers an engaging reading experience, each ending with an intelligent invitation to move on to the next one. The author is a master at creating suspense, developing subplots in the story that leave readers suspended, wondering what could happen next. This is a work of great imagination and I couldn’t help but be pulled in by the world building. The setting is a magical world with unique elements, the conflict is phenomenal, and the plot is well imagined and executed with brilliance. This novel is a great escape for fans of fantasy — hugely entertaining and infused with realism.

Rate this book:

Name:

Comment/Review:

Romuald Dzemo

Rooms of Ruin is the second book in the Blood of the Isir series by Erik Henry Vick and it is compelling, well-written, and a gorgeous treat for fans of epic fantasy. Hank Jensen is a man cursed by a powerful god and punished with a rare disease. But that’s not all there is about his pain. After battling powerful mythical creatures and beings to rescue his wife and son, his family gets trapped in Isir, and as the days pass his curse gets worse, ravaging his body. Now with the help of friends, he must travel to the distant Rooms of Ruin to reopen the pathways of the two worlds. Hank and his newfound friends will not only meet with dire obstacles on the way, but there is a traitor among them who dances to the tune of the Dark Queen and is just waiting to do her bidding. Even worse is what awaits them at the journey’s end — the very labyrinth of the trap! Can they press on through the danger and outwit one as cunning as the Dark Queen?

I loved, loved, and loved this novel! It’s so well-plotted and driven by a conflict that is enormous, a conflict not only between persons and beings, but one between worlds. The world building is impeccable and readers will feel as if they are navigating a mythical landscape filled with mystery and deadly traps. I enjoyed the deft handling of the theme of family, friendship and adventure. You know a great author when they can create an extraordinary character and make you believe in the character, feel close to the character, and that is what Erik Henry Vick has done. The writing leaps majestically off the pages and the conversations feel so real, without losing the relevance of the setting. Rooms of Ruin is fast paced, tightly plotted, and filled with stuff to entice fans of the genre.

Grant Leishman

Hank Jensen, his wife, Jane, and their son, Sig, were at some time in the past scooped up from their quiet life at home in western New York and transplanted into a weird and frightening multiverse, ruled over by the Dark Queen. Hank and his disparate group of followers and friends must somehow find a way home, whilst avoiding the infamous Dark Queen whose sole purpose seems to be to destroy the Jensen team, a group that includes her own sister. In Rooms of Ruin (Blood of the Isir Book 2) by Erik Henry Vick, they are searching for a way to the Rooms of Ruin, where it is possible they can restart the process that brought them to this place originally. The Dark Queen, however, will harry them every step of the way with every conceivable trap, a traitor, and some horrifyingly gruesome creatures under her control. Hank and his friends are in a race for their very lives.

There are epic fantasies and there are hugely epic fantasies. Rooms of Ruin (Blood of the Isir Book 2) by Erik Henry Vick is definitely in the category of hugely epic fantasies both in terms of its length and its depth. I am not a big fantasy reader, but despite not having read the first book in this series, the author drew me in immediately and the pages of this novel just flew by. There is a little adjustment to be made, as a reader not having read the first book, to grasp the situational reality of the setting for this novel, but the warmth, the humanity and the subtle use of sarcasm and wit by the author just draw you in and keep you reading. The fight scenes are violent and vivid, but for me the best parts of this book are the dialogues between the members of the team, especially the interaction between the wives and their husbands; this had me chuckling continually at the lines. The imagination of and the world created by the author has to be admired. I am always in awe of excellent fantasy authors and Vick is definitely in that category. I highly recommend this book and, by association, this series.